Wednesday, February 20, 2008

-14 degrees below zero tonight! One more degree lower and we break yet another record. These are records I have no desire to achieve. And you can't forget the total lunar eclipse tonight. The moon won't be completely blacked out but will have a red/orange color. It will reach it's peak around 9:01 pm CST.

Thought I'd give a short tour of my basement studio in my Madison bungalow. It's a very long room and 10 feet wide by almost 40 feet long. Actually the space is great for my one man shop. The top photo is my desk and display area. Once a year I open my studio for the Madison Open Studio Tour. Around 200 artists open their studios to the public. I try to display as many lamps as I have on hand.

The bottom photo is the opposite end of the room where I have my work table and parts storage. I also have an enclosed back porch which I use for my small wood shop.

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Welcome to my brand new blog. I thought I'd play a bit and see what it takes to put a blog online. It's way too easy. But being a designer I'm really going to have to find a way to have a little more fun with the layout. It's just too boring.

And yes, it's winter here in Madison. One of the worst in years. We're approaching 90 inches. Last year we got about 28 if that gives you a clue as to how crazy this winter has been. We get a storm about once or twice a week. And the last once started with a couple inches of rain. The trees are coated with ice and in the sunlight simply sparkle. Luckily it wasn't enough to bring down a ton of branches. At this writing the temp is a big 6. Tonight it will get to -7. Huge icicles have formed on everyone's homes making me wonder if the weight will bring gutters to the ground. We've been battling ice damns all winter, since December 1 in fact, when the first storm hit without mercy. It also started as an ice storm and there's a layer underneath from that first storm and it's like rock. If you didn't get all your walks and driveways cleared before it froze it's just not going to happen. It is beautiful but it also feels like you're living with a lion at your door. With -45 degree wind chills, icy roads that salt can't melt, icicles and ice damns causing water to collect in your walls and ceilings, and the furnace running day and night it feels like it could all go to hell pretty easily. When I go to bed at night I definitely give a little thanks for a warm and cozy refuge from the elements.

I have no idea where this blog will lead but I'm hoping it will be a creative journal, displaying ideas of all sorts and encompassing all my passions: design, lighting, architecture, nature, music, movies, friends and family, and whatever else comes to mind. Perhaps it will turn into something truly unique.